If you appreciate the work done within the wiki, please consider supporting The Cutting Room Floor on Patreon. Thanks for all your support!

Proto:The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (Sega Master System)

From The Cutting Room Floor
Jump to navigation Jump to search

This page details one or more prototype versions of The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (Sega Master System).

A prototype of The Lucky Dime Caper containing a fairly early version of the game exists. Under normal circumstances, it will only allow you to play through The Northern Woods, but with a little bit of hacking, you can access more levels. The only levels missing from this build are The South Pole and Magica's Castle. Also, the game lacks any music or sound effects.

Introduction

Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Start.png LDC-Start.png

A minor change, mentioning the source code.

Prototype Final
HUEY,DEWEY,LOUIE,COME HERE. I HAVE A SPECIAL PRESENT FOR EACH OF YOU.

HEY, THIS IS ONLY TEN CENTS!

WELL,UM,THANKS UNCLE SCROOGE.

BUT WHY A DIME? HOW ABOUT SOME CANDY OR A TOY?

WHEN I BEGAN TO MAKE MY FORTUNE, I STARTED WITH ONLY ONE DIME... MY LUCKY DIME!

SO OUR DIMES ARE LUCKY TOO?

OF COURSE,WHAT KIND OF LUCK YOUR DIMES BRING WILL DEPEND ON HOW HARD YOU WORK.

THANKS FOR THE DIMES,UNCLE SCROOGE. SEE YOU AGAIN TOMORROW.

LET'S HOPE THEY BRING YOU GOOD LUCK.

HEY!

WHAT?

HELP!

WHA WHAT'S HAPPENNING?

OH NO! HUEY! DEWEY! LOUIE!

WAUGHHHH!

MAGICA DE SPELL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!!!

YOUR LUCKY DIMES ARE JUST WHAT I NEED. I'LL USE THEM TO BECOME THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!

STOP! GIVE BACK MY DIME!

SHE'S DISAPPEARED!

DONALD, YOU HAVE TO SAVE HUEY, DEWEY AND LOUIE FROM MAGICA AND GET BACK MY DIME!

OH NO! YOU WANT ME TO GO?

WELL WHO ELSE IS THERE? ONLY YOU CAN DO IT, AND IF YOU SUCCEED, I PROMISE TO GIVE YOU A SPECIAL REWARD.

A REWARD? I GET A REWARD? I'LL START RIGHT AWAY!

RESCUE THOSE BOYS,AND DON'T FORGET MY LUCKY DIME!
HUEY! DEWEY! LOUIE! I HAVE A SPECIAL PRESENT FOR EACH OF YOU.

GEE, THIS IS ONLY TEN CENTS.

WELL, THANKS UNCA SCROOGE ... I GUESS.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT A DIME?

WHEN I BEGAN TO MAKE MY FORTUNE, I STARTED WITH ONLY A DIME... MY LUCKY DIME!

YOU MEAN THESE DIMES ARE LUCKY, TOO?

WELL, YOU SEE, THE KIND OF LUCK YOUR DIME BRINGS YOU WILL DEPEND ON HOW HARD YOU WORK.

THANKS FOR THE DIMES, UNCA SCROOGE.

I HOPE THEY BRING YOU GOOD LUCK.

HEY!

WHAT?!!

HELP!

WHAAAA! WHAT'S HAPPENING?

OH NO! HUEY! DEWEY! LOUIE!

WAUGHHHH!

I'LL TAKE THAT LUCKY DIME.

MAGICA DE SPELL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY NEPHEWS?!!

AT LAST THESE LUCKY DIMES ARE MINE. I'LL USE THEM TO BECOME EVEN RICHER THAN YOU, SCROOGE!

STOP! GIVE BACK MY DIME.

WHAA! SHE'S DISAPPEARED!

DONALD, WE HAVE TO GET BACK THAT LUCKY DIME!

PHOOEY! I GOTTA SAVE HUEY, DEWEY, AND LOUIE.

OF COURSE, BUT I'LL GIVE YOU A REWARD IF YOU ALSO GET BACK MY LUCKY DIME.

A REWARD? OH BOY, OH BOY, I'M ON MY WAY!

In the prototype, Donald is somewhat of a jerk for only saving the boys (and the Dime) because Scrooge offers him a reward for doing so. In the final, Donald is actually concerned about the boys and doesn't need prodding to save them. Instead, Scrooge was made the jerk by seemingly caring more about his Dime than the boys. It also fixes a spelling mistake in the process.

Prototype Final
LDC-Intro-16.png LDC-Intro-17.png

In terms of graphics, a "WORK IN PROGRESS." stamp appears on the bottom-right of the prototype. Also, one of the trees outside is smaller in the prototype.

Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Plane.png LDC-Plane.png

The plane is a lot smaller in the final version, and uses a different Donald head sprite instead of reusing his regular sprite.

Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Title.png LDC-Title.png

The title screen scrolls down one line too far in the prototype, causing a black line to appear at the top of the screen. This was fixed in the final version. "Starring" has changed from red to blue (with a grey background). In the prototype, the clouds work just fine. However, in the final version, the left cloud has changed slightly, but the right cloud gets cut off abruptly. The cloud on the bottom left is also slightly less appealing in the final version.

General

  • As stated before, the game lacks any sound or music.
  • Only the bear boss has been programmed. Other bosses do not exist nor do the sprites for them exist.

LDC-Proto-Frisbee.png

  • The frisbee exists and is fully functional, but the sprites for the disc itself have not yet been made. When thrown, it is seen as a red box.

LDC-Bread.pngLDC-Orange.png

  • Two items not seen in the final version are present: an orange and a bread loaf. They drop randomly like the other items. They were possibly used for extra hits.

Level Select

LDC-Proto-LevelSelect.png

Much like the final game, you can access a Level Select (but no Sound Test, how shocking). To do so, change the value at C002 to 02.

If the level or room does not exist, you will be taken to a garbage level that can sometimes use level placements from another level.

Levels

The Northern Woods

Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Woods.png LDC-Woods.png
  • Several enemy placements have been altered, and the level design was altered.

LuckyDimeCaper-RedMushroom.png

  • A Red Mushroom enemy that was cut from the final game appears here. It scrolls across and then explodes, with three little blue balls appearing from it.
  • Donald can swing on the vines by pressing Up (final version don't need to press anything, only touching vines will work).
Prototype Final
LuckyDimeCaper-BeaverEnemy.gif LDC-FinalBeaver.gif
  • The beaver's tail is the only thing ever seen inside the mound in the final release, but in the prototype, his entire body can be seen above ground. You can jump on him here, while in the final this is not possible without hurting Donald. In addition to all of this, the final version uses only two frames, whereas the prototype uses four.
  • The bees don't follow the bear like in the final.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-1stCage.png LDC-1stCage.png
  • At the end of the level you rescue Huey, whereas in the final, you rescue Louie here instead.

The Great American Forest

Prototype Final
LuckyDimeCaper-FrogEnemy.gif LDC-FinalSnake.gif
  • The frog was changed to a snake.
Prototype Final
LuckyDimeCaper-OwlEnemy.gif LDC-FinalBird.gif

LDC-Proto-Water.png

  • There are water currents not present in the final. They don't work, though, and the little pockets made for them are absent in the final.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Cage.png LDC-Forest-Cage.png
  • The area containing Dewey was changed so that he could fall down like his siblings. Since the background had to be changed, a cluster of small trees was added which cuts off at exactly the point where the original foreground tree once stood.

The Andes Mountains

  • The tiles are different. They use the 'rolling downhill' tiles with larger blocks overlapping randomly. In the final, the blocks are the only thing present in most areas.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Cactus.png LDC-Final-Cactus.png
  • The cactus object has a palette error in the final version.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Andes.png LDC-Andes.png
  • The podiums that the statues stand on are lower in the prototype.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Cage2.png LDC-Cage2.png
  • For some reason, the cage area was made significantly less detailed in the final version.

The Tropical Isles

Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Tropical.png LDC-Tropical.png
  • The background is different. In the prototype, the volcano looks more detailed, and there are very minor differences in the flamethrower placements.

LuckDimeCaper-HeadEnemy.gif

  • A head leaps out of the ground and spews a fireball at Donald. Hitting it can sometimes give you a power up which remains in the ground so you can never actually get the darn thing. It's exclusively found in the prototype.
  • Lava cannot hurt you. Donald bravely walks across it without injury.

LDC-Lava-Trap.png

  • The room where you have to wait for the lava to break through the cubes only partially works. After a few layers have gone, the game stops breaking the blocks, and the only way to reach the bottom is to hack the game. The lava that drips is also green like in the previous room, whereas in the final it's red.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Dime.png LDC-Dime.png
  • When entering the boss' domain, the game lags just before the boss would normally appear. Since there's nothing there just yet, you can waltz right on over to the Dime, but you can't pick it up. The Dime is placed slightly more to the right than in the final, and has a slightly different color.

The Pyramids

  • A very early version of the level, with barely any enemies in it. None of the doors open properly, so you'll need to hack your way into each area or use the Level Select.
Prototype Final
LDC-Proto-Pyramid-BG.png LDC-Pyramid-BG.png
  • In the prototype, the pillars are rather magnificent. These are simplified in the final version, and come in various sizes.
  • The quicksand doesn't work, and the enemy won't hurt you. But if you fall down to it, you might slip past and vanish off the screen, pushing you back to the title screen.

LDC-Proto-Switch.png

  • Some of the 'golden' tiles can be stepped on. When Donald steps on them, a nearby door will start to open. If there is no nearby door, one will appear out of nowhere and perform the same action. As soon as Donald moves away from these switches, the doors automatically close.
  • In the snake room, snakes appear in the tiles and their bodies overlap their hiding spots.

LDC-Proto-Spikes.png

  • Much like lava, Donald doesn't even care about spikes. Also, you can't actually reach the platform in this room since the green cubes haven't been programmed in yet. There's a door at the end, whereas in the final version there's another platform for you to leap on so you can leap out.